


The Sun

by ibequeenv



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: AU, F/M, I dont even know what kind of au ok like jason doesnt die that about it, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 08:05:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11287113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibequeenv/pseuds/ibequeenv
Summary: The Sun was something of force, crafted to watch people bathe in its light and to give life. The Sun shone brightly and blindingly, making people fear staring at it directly but still making you inexplicably drawn to looking at it no matter how many times you were told not to. It hurt and burned at times and yet the Sun was the only thing keeping people alive.





	1. Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Painting Roses // Dresses

Juliet was the Sun to Romeo. The Sun was something of force, crafted to watch people bathe in its light and to give life. The Sun shone brightly and blindingly, making people fear staring at it directly but still making you inexplicably drawn to looking at it no matter how many times you were told not to. It hurt and burned at times and yet the Sun was the only thing keeping people alive. Jughead couldn't help but thinking of her as his Juliet and his Sun, even this young, even when he didn't understand what he felt, even before he knew about star crossed lovers.

A soft sigh was heard escaping from his lips, and as he turned his head up watching his breath turn into wisps of air and fade, he found Juliet herself appear before him.

Her pale yellow trench coat made her glow softly, angelically in the evening light. He felt the corners of his mouth upturn on their own even if he was hesitant to open his mouth and utter a single word to her. Her flats padded on the snow covered ground almost inaudibly before she sat herself down next to him, taking in a long breath before saying, "Juggie what are you still doing here at the school?"

He watched her head cock adorably at the end of her sentence and he found himself gulping before pressing his hands together to prevent them from shaking and answering, "Well I'm pretty sure that my dad is just working a couple more hours and is late. I'm not too sure though it's been close to an hour..." His voice wavered with worry she could tell he was lying.

"You should've said something! Something could've happened to you and I wouldn't even know about it. What if I had to live in a world without Jughead Jones?" She gripped onto his shoulders and shook them while singing out his name and giggling.

He felt himself laugh dryly before rubbing his nose nervously and saying, "You'd be just fine without me, I mean you'd still have Archie to hang out with and you're practically everyone's friend Betts. You'd find a way to live on." His voice took a darker tone once he uttered the words, knowing that Betty would be sad but in the end unperturbed by his sudden absence.

"Oh come on Juggie, you're my best friend too! Who would help me with my reading and math homework! You know it's hard for me and it's not like Archie is much better than me. Besides who would eat my cookies no matter how burnt they are?" Jughead's face struggled to hide a crooked smile at her pleading tone. He couldn't help but be infatuated with the warmth behind her smile and be addicted to her voice. He was obsessed with the way her eyes are sea foam green of her eyes in the day and a darker teal color at night. He marveled at the way she scrunches up her nose when she laughs.

"You really are something you know that Betty?" He said with a small smirk on his face, trying to hide the content he felt at the mere sight of her. "I mean truly here I was thinking that I'd been abandoned forever and brooding and you worked your magic on me. How do you do it?" His head shook in admiration before she looked side to side and leaned dangerously close to his face to say, "Magicians never tell."

After many eye rolls and laughs passed between them a white pick up truck rolled at the front of the school and jughead had nervously stood up and entered the car before saying goodbye. Every step Jughead took made him sink into his jacket more and more and as he clicked his seatbelt secure, he watched as Betty walked back into their school to find Alice Cooper who had been patiently watching and waiting all along.

Jughead wasn't a person to dwell on thoughts for long. He thought quickly and briefly, he didn't like to waste his time. When it came to a certain blonde however he couldn't help but overthink and look at things again and again from different perspectives each time. That night he laid in bed, staring at the ceiling and thought of the girl who managed to shine brighter than the street lights during a bleak winter. 


	2. Dimmer Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somebody Else // The 1975

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot of dialogue, I'm sorry if its disappointing, I just wanted to show that some feelings don't have to be said to prove that they're there.

Days in the trailer park seemed to stretch for longer than 24 hours. It seemed as if someone had taken the clock and moved the minute hand as slowly as they could, torturing Jughead tremendously and leaving him to want nothing but peace. But peace was not easily granted. Every day that he felt the need to lock himself and Jellybean in a bedroom playing monopoly and blasting music, was a day that his mother fought, trying to pull his father from his drunken madness. It was safe to say a little peace was wanted and warranted in his tired eyes.

The weekend had passed unhurriedly, and when he woke up to his alarm clock on Monday, his sheets were thrown off the bed and he hurried to get dressed and grab something to eat. Extra seconds in the trailer meant a higher chance of facing his father mid-hangover. He felt his chest tighten with anxiety at the all too familiar thought. Before letting himself think about it more, he hurriedly picked up his backpack and quietly opened and shut the door.

Riverdale's November was distinctly characterized by its icy streets and dreary air. His leather boots hit the sidewalks heavily as he pulled his prized beanie closer to his head, trying to get as warm as possible in his thinning clothes. His usual path to middle school swung by the Coopers and Andrews houses, leaving him anxious to see his friends. He walked quicker hoping he hadn't missed them already, but as he turned a corner he saw Archie and Betty walking next to each other, bumping shoulders occasionally. As he heard Betty's laughter a little too stilted, and saw her smile, a little too forced he remembered.

The Sun was not always merciful. It- no, she- would shine with or without him, would shine for whoever she chose to shine for. However, today the shine was not as warm and comforting as it had been on Friday, no, She was blistering and intolerable right now. The rays left a burning feeling in Jughead's chest and made him uncomfortable. Sometimes, in the quiet moments between him and Juliet, he forgot that if he was Romeo, Archie was Paris. Wealthier, handsomer, and charming enough to make everyone believe that he was a perfect choice for her. In the end, Romeo chasing after Juliet and not realizing the differences between them were too great caused them to never actually be together.

If Juliet was the Sun, then perhaps he would always be the moon, with one side of him hidden, to prevent his feelings being exposed to the world and only truly lighting up for others with the help of the Sun. If Juliet was the East, then perhaps he was the West, the complete opposite and destined to never collide with her. But if Betty was Juliet, then perhaps she would never see him as her true love, but rather just another person in fair Verona.

But he didn't care. If he could not have Betty notice him than that's just how it was. He had drawn the short straw in life and that's fine. A life with Betty Cooper as an enemy, would still be better than not having her at all. Betty was one of his best friends, and that was enough to keep him smiling for days on end. After all, beggars can't be choosers.

Before reaching the school they had laughed about shitty teachers and stressed over test grades together. The same three friends they had always been ever since elementary school, albeit with some slight changes in feelings. But walking through the doors of their school made everything seem like a typical teen's life to Jughead, and he held onto the feeling of complete normalcy and cherished it, even if it would only last until the clock strikes 3 o' clock.

Walking into the English class and getting a pop quiz on Fahrenheit 451 however was not normal and not something he'd like to hold onto. He wasn't particularly worried about himself, he knew the book like the back of his hand and had read many like it but he was worried for his best friends. Archie would probably pay someone to cheat off them and give him answers, but Betty? Betty's ADHD made it so hard for her to focus on so many things and gave her anxiety. He could practically feel her sweating with nervousness now even if she was across the room.

As the tests were passed out he heard the the faint tapping of an anxious foot growing louder and louder, then clothes rustling frantically. Jughead glanced at a distraught looking Betty across the classroom. He felt a pang in her stomach, remembering how on her way to school she recounted how she had trouble understanding and focusing on the book, realizing her already low grade would only be lower now.

Jughead hurriedly reached into his backpack and teared off the corner to a loose leaf sheet of paper and put it under his test. He quickly circled the right answers before writing them on the scrap paper. He folded it up and turned his test in, pleading his teacher to go to the bathroom.

On his way out the door he "accidentally" dropped his pencil and squatted to pick it up and feigned losing balance and put his hand on a certain blonde's desk to regain balance. As he pushed the classroom door open he saw Betty quickly unfold the note and watched her face relax before she shout him a small, private smile. A small, dim glow was shot his way, addictive and pure. Knowing he had done that made his mouth quirk up into a small smile which quickly spread into a grin as he walked down the Hallway. Jughead appreciated ever ray of Sun he got.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come soon, thank you for reading


	3. Unsaid Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aware // Front Porch Step

Jughead was a fan of learning, that was obvious, but school? School could not be more of a drag to Jughead Jones. Teachers explained in terrible ways, nothing covered was interesting or useful, and drama happened to be the one thing that had perfect attendance at Riverdale Junior High. There was always something going on and it seemed like nobody ever truly got a break. Whether it be because of projects, homework, sports, or relationships. Relationships never seemed to last but the general feeling of revenge and malice always did. Jughead could never comprehend it, why people went into relationships to make others jealous, to feel less lonely, to feel something at all. Other students were strange creatures that he would never understand and honestly, didn't want to. He had his own friends to rely on and that's all he needed. 

As soon as the bell rung, Jughead grabbed his messenger bag and hauled ass. As soon as he stormed off to his next class, among all the noise in the hallway, he heard a stomping of feet behind him before someone flung arms around his shoulder tightly, almost completely dragging him to the floor. 

"Juggie you have no idea how much I appreciate what you did. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best!" Betty embraced Jughead tightly, rocking back and forth, catching him by surprise before he slowly wrapped his arm around her torso, appreciating the bright shine she was giving off. 

"It was the least I could do, you would've done the same for me." A corner of his mouth lifted up all on it's own, feeding off the energy she gave off. She quickly let go of his shoulders and he followed, lingering a little before changing directions and walking to class together, perfectly in step, and looking at her from the corner of his eye. 

"Well Jug, I guess but I still appreciate it. How was algebra today?" Betty looked at him and tilted her head to the side, with curiosity and kindness in her eyes, before it quickly changed to laughter after hearing Jughead's long sigh and seeing his eyes almost roll out of his head. "Yea I don't blame you, Ms. Simpkins has a way of sucking out the fun in something like a vampire." 

Jughead laughed before saying, "That's one way of putting it. You're a dork, Betts." He grinned as she faked a pout before smiling back at him, softly shining in the dark hallways.

☼♛☼

Jughead's assigned seat in chemistry was almost worse than dying. Not only was he placed in the back with Reggie Mantel, but his best friends Betty and Archie were in the front and always seemed to forget that he was in their class. He often felt like an outcast in his own life, like he was just watching it happen. It felt like even though his life was a story, he was just a side character in it. He hated that he always felt this way, he hated that he had to sit next to an asshole who hated him because he was him, he hated that he was always stressed, but most importantly he hated that Betty was different around Archie. He hated that Betty preferred Archie, he hated that she pretended to be the perfect girl to him, and he hated that Betty didn't look at him the way he looked at her. He hated it more than anything. Jughead pretended not to be a jealous person but he couldn't stand it anymore, he just couldn't.

...

Jughead had maybe come to the realization that this wasn't something friends felt. Maybe he felt something for her. He appreciated romance and the literature about it but he had never felt anything for anyone EVER. He had felt something when he looked at her back in preschool, in elementary school, and these last years of middle school. Why had he never looked into this feeling of light he had when he looked at Betty?

Staring at her bright blonde hair and her perfectly pink cardigan he had resigned himself to his role in his story. He would find away to shine even in the darkest of scenarios for her alone. As he was passed a lab sheet by his teacher he couldn't help but look up and see that yet again she was forcing herself to look perfect for Archie. Her scalding rays left a burning sensation in his heart instead of the usual warmth. It felt that even though she was the protagonist in his novel, he would never be anything but another bystander in hers. Growing irritated he remembered that even if the Sun and the Moon came as a pair, a matching set, they never appeared at the same place at the same time. It was never right. They were and always would be polar opposites. Maybe the Sun just preferred the clouds that always came back to help her shine, maybe the Sun liked how the bright blue sky made her shine brighter, and maybe, just maybe, the Sun didn't want the Moon at all. Maybe that's why even on a clear day you can see the Moon taking one step forward at a time, getting closer and closer to the Sun, while the Sun took one step backwards. It takes two to tango and the Sun never wanted to dance. 

  


Jughead stared at the table and inhaled a deep breath, trying not to let his thoughts overwhelm him again before exhaling and rocking his seat backwards before he was knocked back down to earth by the sound of Reggie's hand slapping the table and saying, "I don't know why you're relaxing when you know damn well that you're doing this entire lab for yourself. dipshit."

Jughead had to grind his teeth together stop from screaming.  

☼♛☼

"Ugh I can't believe he made you do all the work again, what an asshole!" Betty shook her head with disbelief as Archie nodded his agreement. "I mean the lab wasn't that hard but still, you can't just keep letting him get away with this every time he tells you to do something for him." Her sea foam colored eyes shown when she got riled up and a small laugh escaped Jughead's lips, remembering how loyal she is to her friends and how riled up she gets when something happens to them. 

"You know Elizabeth, when someone gets harassed by a person fairly often, it's often called bullying. It instills fear to do something about the person most of the time, but I'm not sure if you know about that concept so I'll explain more if you need it." Jug said sarcastically before Betty punched his shoulder angrily, making him smile and laugh even louder.

"You know Jones, you don't always have to be so sarcastic all the time. I'm just trying to help you. You know what, if you don't want to talk to Reggie about it, I will. He's just a dirtbag and you know I would do anything in the world for you." Betty looked at him with a small smile on her lips before pulling her two fists close to her face and punching the air. "Besides, worst comes to worst, I think I could take him."

"Betty, we both know you could throw some punches but let's be real here, Jug you know you're my best friend, if he gives you trouble, I'll show him his place." Archie looked on menacingly. "Without a doubt I'll beat him to a pulp if he actually tried to hurt you, he's nothing but a jealous, sad bitch." 

"Look guys I appreciate it, but I think you guys are taking it too far. He hasn't been making me do anything I can't do myself, and besides do you really think I trust that dumbass with half my grade in that class? Hell no, I wouldn't trust that guy with a piece of dirt." Jughead rolled his eyes before Archie and Betty laughed as they pushed through the door of Pop's. 

As they sat at a booth, Pops looked over before bringing them the same food they always get after the school day was over. They all chimed in with a thank you before turning back towards each other and discussing the homework they had and the projects they were procrastinating on and the extracurriculars they enjoyed. They worked and talked before the sun finally set in Riverdale and Fred Andrews came to pick up Archie after paying at the register and leaving with a wave. 

Betty instantly relaxed as he left the chocklit shoppe, taking off her cardigan to replace it with a hoodie and letting her hair out of her french braid. She sighed deeply before turning her eyes back to her algebra homework. Jughead looked on wistfully, loving how relaxed and unafraid she was around him. He sighed deeply before getting back to work.

"Do you think he'll ever notice me? And I don't mean, you know, just as a friend, I mean as something more. I've always though we'd be perfect for each other and it just seems like he's never even though of me as anything more than his neighbor and friend. It's frustrating." Betty didn't dare take her eyes off her hands, she didn't enjoy letting herself be vulnerable in front of everyone, not even someone like Jughead or even her sister. Suddenly the Sun was not shining anymore but rather covered up with large stormy clouds.

Something in his chest broke a little bit. And then a little more. And then more and more as she trailed off. Jughead knew Archie, and after many different afternoons at the Andrews household, he knew that among all the girls that Archie had thought of as more, he had never uttered Betty's name. He had never talked about how he thought Betty's eyes shone when she talked about writing, he had never talked about how she stood up for what she believed in, and he certainly never talked about how radiant she was when she let herself be. 

Jughead swallowed and thought hard before looking up into her eyes to say, "Betty. You know how oblivious Archie is. He wouldn't be able to see his nose if it wasn't attached to his face. He cares about you and you know that but he's never gonna you like him if you don't tell him. And no matter what he thinks of you, you're more than enough. I mean you're Betty Cooper for pete's sake! You're an amazing student, friend, and daughter. You're not perfect and you don't have to be, but you're as close as anyone could get." He was about to say something stupid. He was about to say something very stupid. Incredibly stupid. He swallowed his pride when he quickly opened up his mouth before he could regret saying, "If I was Archie Andrews, I would choose you over absolutely any other girl in a heartbeat."

A still silence passed between them before Betty broke out in a smile and reached across the seat to give Jughead a tight hug. And just like that, the storms clouds were gone and replaced with a soft glow. Jughead breathed a sigh of relief and grief all at once. He had managed to make her feel better and make himself feel worse because of it. "Thank you, that's what I needed to hear. You always know what to say and when to say it." Before Jughead could agree, Polly had stopped at their booth fresh out of cheerleading practice and asked with a smile for Betty to wrap things up before Betty left with a smile and thanked Pops again.

Jughead felt himself sink in his seat before he dragged his hands down his face and let out a groan. He knew he did the right thing for Betty but he couldn't help but feel horrible. That quickly changed when Pop Tate surprisingly slid in across his booth with a new burger in hand. "You know son, that was a nice thing you just did for. But you have to tell her how you feel eventually before somebody better than Archie comes along." Pop Tate popped a mint into his mouth after finishing his sentence watching Jughead's face flush and jaw drop. "Well? Don't keep opening and closing your mouth like a fish now, you'll catch flies that way."

"H-how did you even know?" Jughead had only come to the exact realization of what these feelings meant recently, hours ago even. 

"Jones, you know you're like a son to me. Besides, you're here everyday. You don't think I know you? I can honestly feel your smile when that girl is here because hearts and stars and rainbows are practically shooting out of your eyes." Pop Tate's sass was funny at times but to Jughead it was anything but.

"Ha, ha, ha. I don't do that. I know I don't do that... Do I really do that?"

Pop's strong laugh resonated throughout the shoppe before nodding along and saying, "Yes. You do. I've known you liked her since you guys first stepped foot in this shoppe together years ago."

"B-but that must've been in elementary school! I didn't even know back then. I didn't even know about that until hours ago!" Jughead's hands flew around in the air, gesturing wildly. He could feel his face heat up more and more by the second before resigning himself to the truth and resting his head on the table. "Pop what do I do?"

His laugh sounded throughout the restaurant yet again before patting him on the shoulder and saying, "If it's truly meant to be, it's up to you. I think that in the end she'll notice that she'd rather have someone who's passionate about her, rather than someone who couldn't feel less. Girls are probably too much for you to comprehend right now, hell they still are for me. You're not supposed to understand automatically, you're supposed to listen and go from there. Just be yourself and everything will be alright, I promise."

As Pops walked away and his mother walked through the door, he walked out the shoppe hoping that Pop's words ringed true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I'll try to be more consistent from now own.

**Author's Note:**

> More to come, hope you enjoy


End file.
